Beef and brown lentil casserole

Just another lovely winter Sunday! Grey sky to remind you the season but mild temperature to let you have a walk in the bush. I love those NZ winter days. It reminds me only the best aspects of European winters: the time slows down, the streets are more quiet, family members get together, parents play board games with children, grannies would bake with grand-daughters, grandpa would share old stories with grand-sons and families sit all together around a hearty meal that cooked nearly all day long! Winter can be very comforting.

I find NZ winter somehow more comforting: I feel less endangered by the sun rays, but we can still enjoy outdoors; sunrises and sunsets are just perfectly timed to be enjoyed, and I have the chance to live so close to the sea front... I love winter sunsets on the bay.. There is no buzz or rush in the malls, no stress about Christmas coming up soon (in spite of the magic of winter Christmas, it can be quite stressful). In absence of Christmas celebrations in NZ winter, there is at least one thing that does not change: kids are still super-excited (or in a dinosaur mode for some) and drive their parents crazy! If this is your case, just take them to the bush and leave let them have a walk for an hour or two and they'll sleep in the car on way back home.

Beyond super-excited kids, NZ winter gives you the time to enjoy your time at a slower pace under a mild climate. - Okay, okay... I'm a bit biased by the quite dry winter we have this year... or maybe by the new house, fully insulated and double glazed, that changed our life since few months! Anyway, when it's not pouring raining, I love NZ winter!
Besides rain, cold or sun, we still enjoy a slow-cooked one-pot dinner during NZ winter. No worries, I assure you this hearty beef and lentil casserole did not cook for all day long! There is a little trick to avoid that lentils take ages to be soft. Just follow the recipe ;-)